Green City Council
(Green City Council)
Background and Principles
The Green Cities Initiative under the IMT-GT program was officially endorsed at the 7th Summit held in March 2013 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. During this summit, leaders designated four pilot cities: Melaka (Malaysia), Songkhla (Thailand), Medan, and Batam (Indonesia).
Subsequently, at the 9th Summit in March 2015 on Langkawi Island, Malaysia, the Malaysian leader emphasized the necessity of implementing green city initiatives to mitigate environmental impacts and the increasing risks of climate change, in accordance with the Green Cities Action Plan (GCAP).
As a result of the IMT-GT leaders’ increased focus on sustainability and urban development, the 12th Chief Ministers and Governors’ Forum (CMGF) held in November 2015 in Kedah, Malaysia, established the IMT-GT Green Council to oversee the creation of the Sustainable Urban Development Framework (SUDF). Furthermore, it was mandated that meetings be held annually, with the host country rotating alphabetically according to the IMT sequence.
Currently, under “Vision 2036,” the goal is to implement the Green Cities Action Plan (GCAP) in 40 cities across the subregion and operate in conjunction with the (Sustainable Urban Development Framework: SUDF). This framework presently covers seven sectors: Transport, Energy, Solid Waste Management, Biodiversity, Education for Sustainable Development, Circular Economy, and Carbon Literacy.
At present, Hat Yai City Municipality serves as the Lead City for the Transport sector, while Thung Song Town Municipality leads in Carbon Literacy. Implementing these action plans within this subregional framework will create opportunities for new investments in partnership with the private sector, leading to enhanced financial management, technical expertise, and innovation.
